After the Fall
by charlieh07
Summary: CHAPTER 8 FINALLY UP! Takes place after Season 3, order of some events slightly off canon. TonyMichelle.
1. Chapter 1

"Alright you scumbags, time to get up. NOW!"

The security guard had obviously once harboured ambitions of becoming a drill sergeant in the US Army, the way he barked at the inmates every morning. Too bad he loved his Krispy Kreme's too much for that kind of discipline. So he ended up at Los Angeles State Federal Penitentiary instead, almost by accident. Much like one of the inmates he'd become particularly fond of. But Hell, just cos he kinda liked the guy, didn't mean he was gonna cut him any slack in front of the others.

Rattling the bars of his cell, Billy yelled at him.

"Get your lazy ass out of bed right now Almeida, or I'll drag it out for you!"

Tony rolled himself off the edge of the bed – if you could really call it that – and started to get dressed for what would doubtless be just another long day of boredom and frustration, to be chalked off at the end as another step towards freedom.

Meanwhile, Krispy Kreme Guy's best buddy, Frank, was checking in a visitor.

A very pretty one at that. Frank gave her the hold once, twice, three times over, trying to hide his rising state of excitement, with the aid of an official clipboard and a copious beer belly.

"Miss, if you could just fill in this form, and sign here, here ... and here" Frank pointed out the appropriate spots, leaning unnecessarily over the woman's shoulder just to try and catch a whiff of the scent she was wearing.

"Thankyou ... er, Frank" the woman checked his badge quickly " I think I can manage this."

Frank knew a brush off when he saw one, and took a couple of steps back. It was no skin off his nose. After all it gave him the chance to check out her perfectly formed ass.

By the time the woman returned the form to him, Frank was drooling like an excited puppy. Turning away to get her visitor's badge, he quickly wiped the drool away with his left hand. He handed the badge over to the woman, who took it gingerly and pinned it to her jacket, then very pointedly shook his right hand.

Frank took the hint, and wiped his hand swiftly on his pants, before gesturing to the woman to go on past him.

"You know the way to the visitor's room by now, don't you Miss Dessler?"


	2. Chapter 2

Billy carefully flattened his pile of laundry. Grunting – and sweating – like a pig, he gathered it up and tossed it on top of the already overflowing trolley.

The loud 'clunk' as it landed made him wince. He doubted anyone else would realise any such noises came from a small bottle of amber liquid, but even so Billy grabbed an extra couple of shirts to pad it out a little more.

It was one thing helping his favourite inmate to get hold of his favourite tipple. It was entirely another risking getting fired over it.

Billy jumped half out of his skin, when someone pounded loudly at the office door. Visibly relaxing when he realised it was only Tony Alemida, Billy waved him in.

"I want this back by the end of the day, and it better be perfect," Billy squared up to the taller man.

Glancing around guiltily, he peeled back the top layer of his laundry to reveal the quart of JD's. Tony nodded in recognition, drew the shirts back over, and turned to go out the door.

He stopped when he felt Billy's fat sausage fingers clasp his shoulder. Tony was surprised to see the older man's face filled with concern.

"You know Almeida, we gotta stop this."

"For your sake?" Tony sneered.

"No Almeida, for yours. You're getting through far too many of those. People are gonna start noticing, someone'll tell the Chief, and then you could end up banged up in here for far longer! You don't wanna do that, you're so close to getting out now," Billy pleaded in vain.

"Well, uh, thanks for the advice Billy, but how can I put this? Go to hell," Tony scratched the side of his face softly.

"Come on, if not for yourself, then at least give it up for Michelle."

Billy found himself pinned to the wall before the last words had left his mouth.

"If you so much as breathe a word about it to her," Tony growled, "Then I swear to God i'll ... i'll."

His hands shook violently. Sighing, Tony felt his anger begin to subside, and relaxed, his grip on Billy's pudgy throat.

"Tony, look I'm sorry I ..."

"Whatever," Tony muttered, ashamed of himself for losing control like that. He sighed again, and turned his back on Billy, wheeling the trolley out the door and down the corridor.

Billy stared after him, rubbing his neck tenderly. It was an even brighter red than the rest of his lobster-ish skin, if that was even possible.

There must have been something pretty bad going on in Almeida's head, he thought, for him to have turned on his only friend in the whole damn place like that.

Billy half wondered if he ought to report the incident to his superiors, there would be bruising come the afternoon. Then he thought better of it. If he did, they might find out about his and Almeida's little _arrangement _and then they'd both be in deep trouble.

Heaving himself over to his desk chair, Billy thought he'd make up one of the usual kinky sex tales he always did, whenever he got injured. No one ever believed them – why would they?- but they usually left well alone anyway.

Reaching in his drawer for the red and white box, Billy wondered why more people didn't use his cureall. Forget alcohol, or drugs, Krispy Kremes were the best medicine out there.

Tony leaned back against the shelves in the laundry closet. Sweat beaded his forehead, and soaked through his standard issue tee. His brain hammered against the inside of his skull, and he could feel the thin, sour bile rising up his throat.

Gasping, Tony lifted the near empty bottle to his cracked lips, and poured the remainder of the fiery whisky down his throat. In an instant his symptoms had disappeared.

Tony was just in the process of stashing the evidence, when the closet door swung wide open behind him.

"Uh, excuse me, Mr Almeida. Billy said you'd be here," one of the younger security guards stuttered, totally in awe of the ex-Marine, even if he had committed a top level federal crime.

"Yeah well, what do you want?"

"Well sir, you have a visitor."

"What?!" Tony sneered in disbelief.

"Your wife's here to see you."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I really appreciate all the reviews so far, its been great reading all the encouragement, so thankyou so much. This chapter is dedicated to anyone who has read or reviewed this story.

Cheers :)

Chapter 3

Tony crunched the mints quietly as he waited in line, hoping that they would cover the scent of alcohol on his breath. Getting busted for breaking the rules in front of a wife he hadn't seen for a whole month wouldn't do now would it?

As he stepped up to be frisked, Tony swallowed hard. Getting rid of the evidence. His eyes rolled up to the ceiling as the new recruit patted him down, taking a little too long as she checked certain areas. Never mind undressing him with her eyes, she clearly wanted to do a little more than that with her hands. He smirked as Frank yelled at the female officer to "Hurry the hell up!"

"Alright Almeida you're good to go," she said, trying to cover her blushes by staring him out. Tony gave her a sarcastic wave as Frank grabbed his elbow, and yanked him away.

Tony found himself being escorted toward a special visiting booth, tucked well away in the corner of the room.

"Uh, out of interest Frank, why are they putting me in here?"

"I believe your wife requested some extra privacy," The older man stared straight ahead, choosing to avoid Tony's curious gaze.

"Frank, seriously, when have they ever done what she asked before? Is something wrong?"

"You'll have to ask her that," still Frank refused to look at Tony.

Tony stopped dead in his tracks. Frank tried to pull him along, but Tony wouldn't move.

"I'm not going anywhere until somebody tells me what the hell is going on!" The famous Almeida temper had risen to the surface. If someone didn't start talking soon, lives would be lost.

"Tony, I'm sorry, but Miss Dessler also stated that she wanted you to hear the.." Frank paused for a moment, "_ news_ from her and her only. I really am sorry Tony."

Frank had used his Christian name more than once in a day. Now Tony knew something was definitely going down, and it sure wasn't good. Pushing past Frank, he flung open the door of the booth, and stormed in.

His heart stopped. Michelle was sat the other side of the Plexiglas barrier, and she looked even more beautiful than he remembered. He drank in the sight of her, savouring every line, every patch of flesh, every delicate curl of hair. Tony's insides melted. Suddenly his stomach clenched painfully. Her eyes were different; they weren't their usual warm, liquid, chocolatey brown; today they were darker, harder, colder.

"Michelle?" Suddenly Tony's mouth had gone dry, and he could barely force the words out.

"Sit down Tony. I need to tell you something," There was no emotion in her voice, and she stared fixedly at the table. Tony moved forward, sinking into his chair.

"So, uh, what's up? You're not ill are you?" Now he was worried. Really worried.

"No Tony, I'm not ill."

"Then what is it?" Her silence frustrated him, and more than anything, scared him. They had always talked about everything, even before their relationship had truly begun. Their colleagues and friends had always envied the easy way in which Tony and Michelle had communicated, always able to discuss their innermost thoughts and feelings. So now the fact that she had barely uttered a full sentence to him in the ten minutes they'd been in the booth together – well truth be told, it scared the hell out of him.

"You're not pregnant??" the thought had just struck him, with the literal force of a lightning bolt, and he lit up from the inside. Tony pretty soon deflated when he saw the frown crumpling Michelle's face.

"Come on 'Chelle, talk to me," Tony begged, practically tearing up.

Finally, she looked up and stared him straight in the eye.

"Tony, I want a divorce."

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Michelle looked at her husband's shocked face. She felt her heart in her mouth for a moment, as she saw how much pain those four little words had caused him. She used to be able to bring out that famous half smile of his with just three. Then she remembered how much pain he had caused her.

Those two short months, as they waited on tenterhooks for the court case, had been pure hell. Every attempt she had made to comfort him had been thrown back in her face, every warm smile, every gentle touch, had been coldly ignored. He'd shut himself off, and for the first time in their relationship he was unreachable.

The following two and a half months, when he'd been in prison, had been even worse. For the first month and a half, she'd risked her job to visit him every single day, come hell or high water. Then came the argument to end all arguments.

Hammond had come to see him the day before, done his usual trick of lording it over Tony, acting like he was better than him, all holier than thou. Then he'd dropped the bombshell; there was no way in hell Tony would ever get his job at CTU back while he was in charge. Even though he had always known this at the back of his mind, it still shocked Tony to hear it from the horse's mouth, and he'd instantly felt depressed. That depression worsened over night, and when the time came for Michelle's visit, Tony was inconsolable...

_"Tony, sweetie, we can work something out, we can get you a new job, a better job," she'd been desperate to soothe him, to take away the pain he was feeling._

_"I don't want another job," he'd sobbed brokenly, for once not at all in control of hos emotions._

_"Sweetie, I know it hurts, but I'll help you through this. We'll get through it together. You're gonna be fine, it'll all be ok."_

_Suddenly, all Tony's pent up fury erupted right in Michelle's face. He leaped up, tossing the iron table aside like it was a piece of cotton candy._

_"Don't you understand Michelle? I don't want another damn job!" She cringed against the wall as he vented his anger, " And its not gonna be ok!" He grabbed hold of her arm and squeezed hard, to emphasise his point, "CTU was my life, I loved it. What the hell can I do now?"_

_As the prison officers rushed into the room, he slammed his hand into the wall beside her head, "It's not gonna be ok, IT'S NOT GONNA BE OK!!"_

That had been the start of his drink problem, and the beginning of the end of their marriage. Shaking herself, she decided enough was enough. Standing, she addressed him quietly.

"I'll leave the forms with you to sign. Someone will be here to collect them by Friday."

And with that parting shot, she did something she had promised herself she would never do. She turned her back on him and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to -almeidalover- because she has reviewed every single one of my chapters so far. Thanks again to her, and everyone else who has ever read and reviewed After the Fall :) any suggestions are welcome! R&R please.**

Chapter 4

The freshly pressed jeans crackled with starch as he slid them up and over his hips. His fingers tangled with each other as he buttoned the fly slowly. The jeans were looser now; Tony had lost weight in the three months he'd been inside. Blame the terrible food; it was even worse than Michelle's cooking.

Tony's throat closed up and his eyes stung as he remembered the time he'd come home from CTU, the night they'd been together for 6 months. He'd found her sobbing as she pulled what resembled a small lump of coal from the oven, insisting that it was meant to be a cake.

Tony had put his arms around Michelle and let her cry for all of five minutes before he burst out laughing. Affronted, she'd attacked him, punching and slapping feebly. It had been all too easy to pin her down, and kiss away the tears.

Things soon heated up, and after a while, they found themselves in bed. That had been the first time they'd made love, and the first time Tony had understood the true meaning of those words.

He let a tear escape as he realised that it would likely never happen again. Those memories were well and truly in the past now, he'd never get the chance to make any more. The thoughts of those nights that had kept him warm as he lay shivering under the thin prison blankets; he'd never be able to share them with her now.

And suddenly Tony realised he no longer cared that he was getting out of prison today. There was no job to thrive on anymore. He could barely remember the last time he's seen his friends. And worst of all, there was no Michelle to come home to now. She'd gone, and with her, his only reason for carrying on.

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Jack stood with Frank, waiting for Tony to be brought out. Neither of them looked at each other, and neither of them looked at the pathetically small pile of Tony's belonging that lay on a table to their right.

Frank sighed heavily. He'd learned something of Tony's history from a sneaky peek at his file. He found it hard to stomach that such a brave, dedicated, great man had been brought this low. And for what? For loving one person, for wanting to save her life. He'd never bought the official line of 'putting thousands of lives at risk'. Blah blah b lah. It had all turned out ok in the end hadn't it? Frank had seen far worse criminals get off far easier, with just a few little lies here and there.. But Tony, he'd faced up to what he'd done and got it tossed back in his face.

"He seems like a great guy," Frank offered, looking nervously at Jack.

"He was."

Frank could have sworn the other man hadn't even moved his lips. And what did he mean _'was' _? Frank was about to ask, when the door swung open.

Billy held it out for Tony, who walked in and gathered up his things, not looking at anyone. Jack's brow furrowed with concern.

"Tony?"

"Hey Jack," Tony finally looked up, "wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Couldn't let you come home all on your own today," Jack clapped his shoulder gently.

Tony muttered something under his breath that sounded an awful lot like 'whyever the hell not?' Jack chose to ignore that comment.

"Right, well," Jack cleared his throat, "let's get you out of here then.

Tony turned to Billy.

"Thankyou. For everything."

The guard nodded in understanding. And with that Tony turned his back on them all and swept out the room.

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Tony passed the drive back to his old apartment in silence, choosing just to listen to Jack, rather than say anything himself. He was afraid of what would come out if he opened his mouth, so instead he listened to the latest news from CTU, how Chase was doing after the op, how Chappelle was interviewing for Tony's old job.

When they arrived, Jack handed Tony a bunch of keys.

"Michelle asked me to keep hold of them for you. She was afraid--"

"Yeah, thanks Jack," _Shutupshutupshutupdon'twanttotalkaboutMichelle. _Tony leapt out of the truck and rushed toward his front door.

The first thing that struck him about the apartment was how empty it was. All her stuff had gone, from every room. Every trace of her had been removed, even the pictures of _them _had been taken down and boxed away.

And yet he swore her perfume still hung in the air. Shaking his head, Tony leaned against the nearest wall for support. He felt Jack move closer behind him.

"Look Tony" _Shutupshutupshutup. _"Maybe you should try calling Michelle" _Shutupshutup. _"Talk things through" _Shutup. _"Maybe it'll help.."

Something inside Tony flipped.

"Jack considering your track record with women, I have absolutely no intention of taking your advice. Now just leave me the heck alone."

He almost regretted what he'd said, when he saw the pain from Teri's death, the messy break up with Kate, the estrangement from Kim, return to Jack's eyes.

"Jack..."

"Goodbye Tony. I'll come by soon," Jack's voice was flat, as he walked out the door and left Tony behind to drown in his own misery.

**A/N: Hope this chapter wasn't too lame, it sounded so much better in my head! Still, I'm on holiday now, so I'll try to make the next one better :) Please R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this one has been so long in coming, I've been busy with revision, and probably will be for some time yet :(. I just want to thank you all for your support on this first fic :).**

**This is dedicated to all of you have reviewed, it's always appreciated. Enjoy! (I hope.)**

Chapter 5

The ringing of the telephone cut through the thick silence that covered the house. The answer machine finally picked up after the tenth tone.

"This is Michelle Dessler. I'm unable to take your call at this moment. Please leave a message and I'll try to get back to you."

The caller on the other end of the line cleared his throat loudly, and then began to speak.

"Michelle, this is Jack," he paused, "Jack Bauer. I'm, uh, I'm calling about Tony actually. I really think we should talk. This must be, what, the fifth time I've called. Call me back soon. _Please._"

_Click._

Michelle moved to the answer machine silently, her finger hovering over the keypad. A second later, she pushed down decisively. Then she turned to leave the room, an unnoticed tear trailing down her cheek, leaving the red light over the _Delete _button still blinking behind her.

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Jack grasped the phone between his ear and shoulder, as he pulled out of his parking lot. When he stopped for a second at a red light, he took the opportunity to dial his voicemail. His heart sank quickly when the cool female voice sang out,

"You have. No. New. Messages."

Sighing heavily he snapped his cell shut and tossed it onto the seat beside him. Michelle still hadn't called him back. He could barely believe things between her and Tony had gotten this bad; before the Cordilla virus had been unleashed and Stephen Saunders had kidnapped Michell, they'd been about to enter the third year of their marriage, and it'd been one of the strongest Jack had ever seen.

Now his two best friends lived in separate cities, living very separate lives. Jack visited Tony almost every day, but half the time he wasn't even sure Tony knew he was there, being as he was almost permanently inebriated. Jack could see the divorce was ripping Tony apart. Unfortunately he wasn't so sure it was doing the same to Michelle.

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The music filled his apartment, blocking out all the outside noise. It was blocking out all his thoughts too. Of course, the two six-packs of Bud he'd downed were helping. Tony reached up on top of the refrigerator to see if he'd left any beer in the packing boxes up there. He had so many hiding places for the stuff, even he, with his super special agent training, couldn't remember them all. Instead his hand skimmed over some kind of glossy material. Immediately curious, he gripped the sides of the box and pulled it down. Tony then shuffled over to the couch, and pulled the box open properly.

Photographs. It was full of photographs. And on the very top, Michelle's face beamed out at him. Growling deep in his throat, he threw the picture angrily onto the floor.

_This is the last time I'll abandon you._

Tony felt around down the side of the couch cushions, reaching for the whisky bottle he'd stashed there so his nosy bitch of a girlfriend Jen wouldn't find it. It was almost full. Lifting it to his lips, he tipped back his head, and pured it all straight down his throat.

Then he turned back to the box, and stared at the next picture. Michelle again. Tony flicked through to the next one. Michelle. The next one. Michelle. The next one. Michelle. Michelle, Michelle, Michelle. Michelle outside CTU, Michelle with her brother Danny, Michelle and Jack, Michelle and Chloe, who was smiling for once. Tony lifted that stack out of the way carelessly. What he saw next was like getting a knife through the heart.

_And this is the last time I'll forget you._

Their wedding day. Him and Michelle. Dancing together. Laughing with each other. Kissing, smiling, holding, loving each other. Suddenly anger ripped through his body, and Tony jumped up, scattering the pictures everywhere. He trampled on them, spat on them, tore them up into the tiniest pieces. And just as suddenly, his anger left him, in one great wave. All Tony had left was sorrow. Sorrow and pain, and loneliness. He collapsed back onto the floor, curling up into a ball. Sobs racked through hos body as he realised that, no matter how hard he tried not to, he still loved Michelle, always had, since the moment he met her, and always would.

_I wish I could._

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Michelle closed the door behind her, holding the Chinese takeaway cartons to her chest, trying to absorb some of their warmth. Turning her back to the kitchen, she grabbed a plate from the dresser in the dining room. She dumped out her ready made meal into it, picked up a knife and fork, and walked back out into the hallway, following it through to the lounge.

Michelle snuggled herself down into the couch, and flicked the TV on. Her heart began to hammer against her ribs; a Cubs game played out in front of her eyes. Swallowing hard, she changed channels; the days of cuddling into Tony while he tried – and failed – for the five hundredth time to explain the rules to her were over now.

She remembered how sometimes he would get so so frustrated with her complete inability to understand the damn game that he'd actually act it out for her, as if she were a small, and rather awkward, child. One time she'd had a terrible day at work, and Tony suggested they watch the Cubs game to wind down before bed. Before they sat down to it, he jokingly tried once again to explain the rules to her in that way, and she'd just snapped, tired and stressed as she was, and started screaming at him.

If he'd talked to her like that. Michelle would have been out the door in about 30 seconds flat. But he didn't, not her Tony. He just sat next to her, waited for her to cool down, put his arms round her and soothed her. A tear crept down her cheek as she thought over it. And in that moment Michelle realised she'd done to Tony what he would never have been capable of doing to her, simply because he loved her just too much. The tears that had started slowly came in floods now as she thought over what she had done. She'd turned her back on him when he needed her the most. She'd abandoned him.

_This is the last time I'll abandon you_

_And this is the last time I'll forget you_

_I wish I could_

**A/N: The lyrics are from the song "Stockholm Syndrome" by Muse :)**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: First off an apology; it has been ridiculously long since I last updated this, and my only excuse is that I've had some pretty bad family problems. I hope you guys will forgive me. This be dedicated to all the writers on FF, whose stories have inspired me to get started on my own again!

Please review, any and all comments welcome :)

Chapter 6

Waking up alone, surrounded by congealing takeout containers, was something Michelle Dessler had become accustomed to over recent months. It niggled at her constantly - she had always been such a neat freak - but somehow she could never find the motivation to do anything about her.

She knew she should be going out, meeting new men, forgetting all about Tony - that was what other newly-divorced women did, right? There was always something stopping her though. It was like a part of her had given up, just crawled off somewhere to shrivel up and die, cold and empty and alone.

Oh, she still kept up her professional front alright. Anyone at Division would have thought she was still happily married and having the time of her life, the way she carried her work out so efficiently, always with a sharp eye on the next target.

She'd risen through the ranks ridiculously quickly, causing not a little jealousy among the older team members, purely because of her powerful intellect and selfless dedication to saving other people's lives. Michelle often thought this was why she was so good at ruining her own.

Ready for work a whole forty five minutes early, Michelle perched carefully on the couch, trying not to wrinkle her smart business suit, which had gotten a little too loose lately, despite a horrifying calorie intake. Realising there was little else she could do at that time in the morning, she flicked the TV on.

Immediately something in the corner of the screen caught her eye. She quickly focused in, and realised, to her horror, exactly what the date was. Today should have been hers and Tony's third wedding anniversary. Straight away she felt pathetic for leaving the marriage as quickly as she had, without truly looking back.

Something inside her snapped, and slowly, deliberately Michelle reached for her phone.

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The pale milky light of dawn streamed through a slightly open window, highlighting two heads snuggled together on one pillow. Shifting slightly, the man threw his arm round the other person, trying to get as close he could, breathing in the coconut scent of her hair. It was so peaceful laid like that in the early morning quiet; warm, safe, secure and happy.

_Ring-ring! Ring-ring!_

With the reactions of a trained professional, the man launched himself at the telephone, quickly muffling the ringer so as not to wake his sleeping beauty, and flipped it open.

"Jack?"

"Who is this?"

"Jack, it's m-me. Jack, it's, it's Michelle."

Jack was to surprised to quieten his sharp intake of breath, so unexpected was this call.

"Jack? Are you still there?"

Swallowing nervously, he replied.

"I'm still here Michelle. Can I help you with something?"

"Well, yes, I was kinda hoping you could."

She sounded nervous, Jack could almost hear her licking her dry lips over the softly crackling phone line.

"Listen Michelle is this really important? It's just it's really early in the morning, and I'm not properly focused yet."

"It is important Jack, to me anyway."

After a further few seconds of silence, Jack felt he had to prompt her.

"Well, what is it then?"

Trying to sound nonchalant, Michelle gathered up her courage and spoke.

"I was wondering if you could get hold of an address for me? I need to see Tony."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: In response to a couple of requests I've tried to make this chapter a fair bit longer. I think it has to be dedicated to LBP, who was the first to review the last chapter I posted, after a long absence. **

**Enjoy, and if you do, please review. Thanks!**

Chapter 7

Jack was stunned. He'd waited such a long, long time for this call to come. In the end he'd given up all hope of hearing from Michelle. It wasn't as if Tony seemed to care about anything these days anyway.

After a few moments of dead silence, Michelle spoke up.

"Jack, you still there? Listen, I'm sorry I didn't get in contact before. I've had a lot going on recently. New job, new house, new office, promotion. I just..."

Michelle trailed off. Her excuses sounded pathetic, even to her ears. Why pretend anyway? They both knew the real reason she hadn't called.

Jack could hear a tinge of sadness in her voice, and he felt a pang as he realised how lonely she must feel. He could understand better than most the pain of losing the person you fell in love with.

"Jack? I'm sorry, I'm, I'm gonna go now," Jack caught the slight wobble in her voice.

"No! Michelle, wait! I have the address somewhere round here, just give me a second,"

Tucking the phone between his ear and his shoulder, Jack got down on his hands and knees, and scrabbled through his bedside drawers, hoping he could find the address before Michelle lost her nerve. He should have known where it was, he should have at least been able to remember it; Tony was supposed to be his best friend. The truth was, though, that Jack hadn't seen him in weeks. Not since the last time...

_It had been several months since Tony had been released from prison. Jack had tried to visit him regularly, despite the hurtful comments Tony had thrown at him the night he had taken him home._

_All in all Tony had seemed to be adjusting well, b_o_th to the divorce and life outside of prison walls._ _Of course there were ups and downs, some days were worse than others, they were bound to be. The day after Tony had found the box of the photos had been right up there with the worst of them. _

_In general though, Jack was pretty pleased with how his friend was getting on with things. Tony was even holding down a job in a bar five nights a week, with the occasional day shift thrown in. Admittedly, it was nothing on the scale of working for CTU, being director of the regional office of an intelligence organisation, but it was a routine, and one that had seemed to serve him well so far._

_It wasn't to last though. One night Jack turned up at the McLennan Alehouse hoping for a cold beer and a long talk with Tony. Puzzled not to see him stood pulling pints behind the bar, Jack sidled up to one of the waitresses, a young girl by the name of Louanne._

_In response to his questions on Tony's whereabouts, Louanne wrinkled her nose in disgust and turned her back on him, before muttering something that filled the pit of Jack's stomach with dread._

_"Gone? What do you mean gone? What, is he hurt? Is he sick? What ha-"_

_Louanne cut him off, spinning round to face Jack, her eyes flashing with sadness._

_"He's been sacked. Ask him why."_

_Jack's jaw dropped, Abruptly, he turned on his heel and started to make for the door. Just as he stepped outside, Jack felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder. Louanne whispered gently in his ear._

_"Jack tell him - Well, tell him I'm sorry."_

_After that bombshell, Jack had leapt in his GMC, and floored it all the way to Tony's house. Once there, he'd barely pulled the key from the ignition before he was bursting through the front door._

_He'd been astounded by the sight that he'd come across in the lounge. Tony lay slumped against the television, bottle in hand. Scattered around him lay millions of shreds of what looked like paper. Kneeling down, Jack pieced a few of them together; he soon realised it wasn't paper, but photos. Photos of Tony and Michelle. Shocked, Jack looked up at his friend._

_"What the hell happened here Tony?"_

_A rough, insolent voice came from behind him._

_"What happened is he saw his damn ex wife on the TV in the bar, and thought she was flirting with the boss. He went crazy and tossed a whisky bottle through the screen, after pouring the contents down his throat, hence getting himself fired. Then he came back here, and as you can see, turned the place into a trash can!"_

_Jack could only gape at the dark haired woman behind him. She raised an eyebrow at him, at the same time glaring at Tony, then turned to leave through the open door._

_"When he talks, tell him I've gone to work. I don't why he's in such a fuss anyway. He lives with me now. I'm his girlfriend, he shouldn't need to worry about his ex wife now. What has she got that I haven't?"_

Brains_, Jack thought as the door slammed behind Jen._

_"Well, she seems real sweet."_

_"Shut up Jack," Tony hadn't even lifted his head to address Jack._

_"Tony, don't you think you're moving a little fast letting Jen move in already? I mean what would Mich-"_

_"Why would it matter what the hell Michelle thinks?" Tony continued in a dull monotone, "We're divorced now, in case you hadn't noticed."_

_"But you still love her. And I know she still has feelings for you, the old you anyway, so I can't see that she'd be terribly impressed that you've let yourself go this much"_

_"She's gone, what's the point in trying anymore? I may as well stick with Jen, she lets me do what I want, no nagging to try harder, to better myself. And she's pretty dirty in bed. You know Jack, you're so miserable these days, maybe it's about time you got some." Tony snickered drunkenly._

_Jack felt the anger rise in his throat; he was sick of Tony's self pity and loss of determination._

_"And maybe it's about time you grew up, and stopped blaming other people for what you did to yourself! Damn it Tony, my wife died, yours left you, because she couldn't find the person she fell in love with anymore. Think about that, before you hook up with any more random sl- women."_

_And with that, for the second time that year, one of the only important people in Tony's life turned their back and left him._

Jack's finally found the scrap of paperhe'd been looking for, and he breathlesslyread out the address to Michelle, pausing every couple of words to give her time to copy it down. When he had finished, she repeated it back to himto check for mistakes, then thanked him. She was about to put the phone down, when he suddenly spoke up again.

"Michelle, when you go see - _him _- will you tell him I'm sorry for the last time? And that I'm thinking of him?"

He could almost see her eyebrow shoot skywards.

"Sure Jack. Listen, I'll call you later, let you know how I got on?"

Jack smiled softly.

"Sure. That'd be nice. Goodbye."

2424242424242424242424242424242424242424242424

Michelle hummed softly to herself, as she applied a second coat of lipstick in her wing mirror. Strangely, she'd felt the need to smarten herself up, make herself pretty if you will, before she got out the car, walked up that path, and rang the doorbell for her ex husband.

The very fact that she felt this need to look good for him, convinced her that she'd made a mistake in divorcing Tony. She knew now that she couldn't live without him, no matter how hard she'd previously tried to prove to herself that she could.

As the butterflies churned up her stomach, Michelle tried to rationalise things. She shouldn't get her hopes up for an immediate reunion; he'd be angry at first, of course he would. He'd saved her life; she'd repaid him by leaving him. In time, though, she was confident that he would forgive her, and they could start to build a life together again. Get married again, maybe even try for children.

With that thought on her mind, and a smile on her lips, she strode up the front path, and firmly pressed the doorbell. While she waited for him to appear, Michelle smoothed her skirt for the thousandth time, and tucked no-existent strands of hair behind her ear. She looked up nervously as the door swung open.

Standing in the hall, one hand on the doorframe, was not her ex husband, but a woman, early thirties, with mid-length dark hair and a sour expression on her face. Getting over her surprise, Michelle spoke up before the woman could slam the door in her face.

"Hi, I'm looking for Tony Almeida. Perhaps you know where he is? Are you a roommate or something? I'm his wi- exwife, Michelle Dessler."

Michelleheld her hand out to the woman, who just stared at her coolly.

"I know who you are."

An awkward silence followed, the woman who had clearly decided she wasn't going to speak before Michelle did. After a few minutes passed, Michelle was about to start talking again, but before she could get the words out, she was rudely interrupted.

A hand snaked around the other woman's chest, tugging at her breasts, and a man's voice filled her ears.

"Jen, honey who is it? Tell 'em to get lost, and come back later. Sex time, remember?"

The guy finally stopped nuzzling intoJen's neck and looked up, when he realised he wasn't getting a response.Michelle, horrified, realised she was looking into one familiar pair of brown eyes.

Tony's.


	8. ApologyPreview

I know we are technically supposed to post author's notes as chapters, but I feel I owe you guys a huge apology. I feel really bad that I had such a huge break at one point in this story, and then a couple of chapters on, and I'm really late posting again :( The truth is I have been having a lot of personal and family problems this year which have gotten a lot worse over the past month, and as such have really struggled to write anything of a decent quality lately. I know I don't deserve it, but I'd like to ask you all to have a little more patience with me as I attempt to complete this chapter, which will hopefully open the floodgates. Thanks for all your loyal reviews, and here's a little preview of Chapter 8 to try and make up a little for the huge delay.

Chapter 8

It was like the world was crashing down round her ears. Suddenly all she could hear was the rushing of her blood through her body, as her heart crept slowly, painfully up her throat and smashed to pieces on the ground in front of her. Michelle snapped her mouth shut as she tried to force herself not to cry, tried to force herself not to feel.

Tony was feeling equally reckless. Seeing her on his front door swept the effects of the alcohol away, and he was quickly realising what a prick he'd made of himself as he watched her lower lip wobble almost imperceptibly. Stepping up beside Jen, he cleared his throat.

"'Chelle?"

One word. One word was all it took for her to lose control, for the tears to come cascading down her cheeks, streaking her face with black mascara and misery. One word to send her stumbling down the front porch, and across the yard, not caring how many times she stumbled, as long as she got away. Away from her, from him, from _them._


	9. Chapter 8 in Full

A/N: The long awaited Chapter 8. I don't feel it lives up to the amount of time I've taken to post it, and it's a little short, but I guess you guys will be the best judges of that. Reviews are very much wanted and appreciated at the moment. Thankyou all for your support :)

Chapter 8

It was like the world was crashing down round her ears. Suddenly all she could hear was the rushing of her blood through her body, as her heart crept slowly, painfully up her throat and smashed to pieces on the ground in front of her. Michelle snapped her mouth shut as she tried to force herself not to cry, tried to force herself not to feel.

Tony was feeling equally reckless. Seeing her on his front door swept the effects of the alcohol away, and he was quickly realising what a prick he'd made of himself as he watched her lower lip wobble almost imperceptibly. Stepping up beside Jen, he cleared his throat.

"'Chelle?"

One word. One word was all it took for her to lose control, for the tears to come cascading down her cheeks, streaking her face with black mascara and misery. One word to send her stumbling down the front porch, and across the yard, not caring how many times she tripped, as long as she got away. Away from her, from him, from _them._

"'Chelle, come back!"

Not even pausing to throw any shoes on, Tony bolted through the door, shoving Jen into the wall in his haste. His legs weren't what they used to be, and he struggled to catch up to Michelle as she sped towards her car.

"Michelle sweetheart, _please!_"

The familiar endearment only made her tears fall faster. She felt so _betrayed_. Michelle knew she had no right to feel that way, _she _was the one who'd left. And yet it still hurt that it seemed like he'd moved on. If she was the love of his life, like he'd always said, then how could he move on so quick? They'd promised to love and honour each other forever, for Christ's sake - how had they ended up like this?

_Michelle Dessler stared into the mirror, and staring right back at her was someone beautiful, someone she never realised she could look like until today._ _Wisps of brunette hair fell softly in spirals, framing her nervous face. For once she'd managed to coax the rest of it into a neat chignon, and the little makeup she wore was flawless. As she lifted the gauzy white veil and let it fall over her eyes, she knew she was ready to do this._

_The whole side of Tony's face was rubbed red raw, where he'd been running his fingers over it - a nervous tic he'd developed when he'd first started making the life changing decisions that came hand in hand with his position as director of CTU Los Angeles. Even the day he'd took over the job, the day George Mason martyred himself, the Warner family blew apart and Jack Bauer came back into the fold, hadn't been as nerve wracking today. _

_Tony sensed something was about to happen, the split second before the organ music began, and turned to watch his soon-to-be-wife glide up the aisle._ _As his eyes landed on her, the breath caught in his throat - it was cliché, but Michelle looked like an angel. She was so perfect that it brought tears to his eyes, tears that he only just got under control as she pulled up beside him, ready to begin the ceremony_

_Neither of the had thought that the heartfelt promise they'd made to love each other til death did they part would have been broken so completely after a few short years._

As Michelle reached the sidewalk, the heel of her shoe caught in a crack in the paving slab, and she crumpled to her knees. Sobbing wildly, she scrambled to gather together the spilled contents of her handbag, searching among them for her car keys. After a few seconds her hands closed over the leather tab, and she clutched it desperately, trying and failing to get to her feet. Suddenly a firm handed clamped down on her shoulder, and Tony pulled her roughly round to face him. They stared at each other for a few endless seconds. Michelle shut her eyes, and Tony's lips were on hers, his tongue flickering into her mouth. For a moment she was lost in the wonderful familiarity of the kiss, before the overpowering taste of spirits brought her to her senses.

Tony, surprised by the sudden force of Michelle's palms against his chest, sprawled onto his back in the muck, as he watched her disappear into the safety of her Mazda. Fury erupted within him at the thought of the indignity of the situation, and he sprang up, banging his fists against the closed window.

Just as suddenly as he'd jumped up, Tony stopped and stepped back. The absolute fear in her eyes shocked him to the core. He stood there wordlessly, just staring at her, horrified at his own behaviour. The neighbourhood was quiet at that time, and the roar of the Mazda's engine shook him, as Michelle peeled off down the street suddenly, foot firmly down on the gas pedal.

Walking dejectedly back through his front yard, Tony realised something. He held his chin a little higher, thinking it through. Entering the house, and moving slowly, mechanically, he began to gather up all the bottles of alcohol lying around, tossing them into the wastebasket as he went. He was in such a trance, he didn't even register the moment that Jen threw her house key at him and left, suitcases in tow, never to return.

Strange how a few key moments could sober someone up, make them realise what they'd lost, give them a new purpose in life. Besides ditching the booze, seeing Michelle had pushed Tony to make one more massive change in his life.

He was going to get her back. Whatever it took.

A/N: Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas where you want it to go :) Reviews are like Disney movies and 24, they make me smile :)


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